Fresh sprouts are yummy and good for you. Make your own in our upcycled Mason jar sprouter for an eco-friendly way to add fresh ingredients to your menu!
Fresh sprouts contain up to 100 times more enzymes than their uncooked grain, bean and nut counterparts. Enzymes help you to extract more nutrients from the food you eat and enzymes act as catalysts for your bodily functions.
Sprouting increases the fiber content and vitamin content substantially (up to 20 times the original value). In fact, sprouting increases vitamin B2 by 515%, B1 by 285% and niacin by 256%. One of the best things about sprouting is that it’s inexpensive and gives you a ready supply of truly local food.
What you need:
- Mason jar with ring top
- Small piece of cotton fabric
- 1/3 cup lentils (or beans), nuts or grains to sprout
- 2 Cups water
Cut a small piece of fabric to place over the top of the jar. I used some muslin from my cheese-making supplies, but any cotton fabric will do.
Place 1/3 cup of nuts, grains or beans into the Mason jar and add 2 cups of water.
Leave the jar in a well-lit, warm place for 24 hours. I put mine on my kitchen windowsill.
You may be tempted to put more than 1/3 of a cup in, but don’t – the sprouts will swell and grow to fill the whole jar. After you’ve soaked them for 24 hours, pour all the water out and place them back in your warm, well-lit spot.
Rinse them every 8-10 hours so that they stay fresh. In 48 hours, you will have amazing, fresh and delicious sprouts. You can take your Mason jar sprouting system with you when you’re camping too.
![IMG_6028[1]](https://greenmoxie.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/IMG_60281.jpg)
And there you go… Yummy fresh sprouts are so easy to make!
For an even simpler solution, try Sprout. Their fresh box sprouts, cards and pencils make an adorable gift and are the perfect way to introduce your kids to sprouts. Want your kids to learn about nutrition and eat something new? This is a great way to get them hooked.
What do you during the winter when you don’t have a warm, sunny windowsill? Do you have alternative directions for that or do you most of your sprouting in the summer?
Hi Mel, it can be sunny or light – if you don’t have sun, then just put the jar on your counter top or in a place which is light. Room temperature is perfect for sprouting, so you can sprout all through the year. Sprouts grow a little quicker in warm, sunny windowsills, but you can make them just as easily in the winter when its a little cooler. In the winter, I have no direct sunlight in my kitchen, so I sprout on my counter top and it works just as well. Let me know how it goes!
I love to sprout lentils. It takes about 5 days, using the methods you describe, to grow a nice batch of red or brown lentil sprouts. Make sure not to use split lentils. I live in Saskatchewan, the world’s leading lentil producer, so sprouting lentils is a local food endeavour. Also, check out Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds, a major wholesale supplier of organic sprouting seeds: http://www.sprouting.com. They’re based in a small town in Saskatchewan so many of their seeds are grown in Canada (the rest are imported). Given a choice, I always like to use a local food product and sprouting lentils fits that bill.
Pingback: 16 Brilliant Camping Hacks to Make your Life Easy